Scientists Grow 'Organoids' To Study Breast Cancer In 3D

Scientists have long been limited to studying cells as flat layers in a Petri dish, which is obviously not how tissues are arranged in the human body. Now a team of biomedical researchers has grown a three-dimensional structure in a lab.

The researchers have created a miniature organ-like structure, or "organoid", that resembles a mammary gland. Because these are 3D tissues, they offer a more realistic model for understanding the genetic and physiological processes that cause breast cancer.

In order to grow the mammary organoid, the team identified several molecules that control breast development, such as the growth factor "Neuroregulin1." The organoid features different layers and includes stem cells, which give rise to more specialised breast tissues, allowing it to become a complete mammary gland.

Previous efforts have produced structures whose cells didn't divide and develop for longer than 2 weeks, whereas the new method makes mammary organoids that continue to grow for over 2 months (70 days). The structures could also be encouraged to turn into tumours.

Mammany organoids will serve as a model to understand the biology of how genes and hormones influence healthy breast development, then to study disease and test candidate drugs for chemotherapy.

According to Trevor Dale of Cardiff University, who led the research, "Much of how breast tissues respond to external stimuli such as hormones is, as yet, unknown. As such, developing a model of a normal breast with the actual architecture of a mammary gland has long been a 'Holy Grail' for cancer researchers."